hi :::
my kid hacked the parental controls -- admitted to it. I had the disc wiped and reinstalled everything, but parental controls are still acting strangely. How can I keep parental controls from being hacked?
thank you
I don't know diddly about it other than what it says on the web site, but it might do the job for you.
As to Parental Controls not working, it appears based on your post that it wasn't a matter of them not working as designed, but rather that she created a new administrator account and turn the controls off. The Open Firmware password should put a halt to that sort of caper since that blocks the ability for a user to reset an account password by the hack or by an install disk (though the Open Firmware password can also be removed, just so you know).
Sounds like you need to encourage her to study Computer Science, and engage her other interests more.
Parental controls work until your child is old enough to understand how a computer works...probably around age 11-12. After that, they'll figure it out.
Please bear in mind the parental hammer came down on you because there really is no way to fully guarantee locking her out when she has physical access to the machine.
Logging what she does when she has access is a completely different matter, and doable. Had you asked for advice on that, you would have gotten different replies.
I actually changed my question in a second post to something more like what you're suggesting.
But really, advice about "tough love", "house arrest", and "you'll have to parent" seems irrelevant to a query on executing certain functions on a computer.
Moreover, it is reasonable to expect a computer application to work as it's designed to -- otherwise Apple would post disclaimers. In the absence of disclaimers why should someone deserve a hammer for trying to get an application to work as it should? Is there confusion as to whether this is a software problem or a social problem? Even so, no need for a hammer.
Learning personal responsibility takes adolescents a long time, and we've been discussing this thing for weeks. The conversation will move forward much more smoothly if I know whether the lesson is actually being learned (via monitoring). When discussing responsibility, it's better to know how irresponsibly the kid is acting so you can tie specific actions to specific consequences. You make a much stronger point if you're not guessing.
So, Lowfokus, how do I find out what she did?
DSawyer, how hard is it to remove a Firmware password?
It was already told to you: She booted into single user mode and bypassed your "controls".
"DSawyer, how hard is it to remove a Firmware password?"
I answered this above before you asked. Remove a stick of RAM and reboot. It's that simple.
With access to the computer, it's easier to monitor, trust us. Completely locking someone down with physical access is impossible. There are fastest hack conferences if that tells you anything, and with access I think it's usually 30 seconds before the systems are rendered broken.
I really do not care how you parent, I just don't want you to think what you asked originally is feasible, because it is not.
Monitor actions and correct ill behavior, is all I was getting at.
Good luck, remember Google searching helps heaps!
OOPS! Sorry I misread your first question...give me a min to type a more appropriate answer to that one, sorry 🙂
You can set up auditing using Terminal, which I feel is more than likely beyond your capabilities (no offense, I'm just saying it is difficult even for knowledgeable UNIX users.)
Google BSM unix, you can DoD log the machine if you'd like.
There are programs to do this for you also, more up your alley I would think.
Copy and paste the text between the quotes into google: "child monitoring software osx"
You will find many links, including key logging software that will email you logs.
Dave --
One caveat I would have about SpectorSoft, is that it may conflict with Safari.
We have had several people with Safari freezes and crashes that turned out to be SS,
as identified via crash reports. After removal, the Macs worked fine.
In your search around the web, you may want to research White, Grey, and Black Hat Hacking. It may be beneficial for you to learn at least the basics and principles of each class of hacker, as well as some ways they accomplish things.
If she is interested strictly to get past your controls, I feel for you.
If she is interested in hacking in general, you will find many good examples of security hacking, as well as plenty of true cases of black hat crimes involving jail. Perhaps you can persuade her to stay away from the dark side 🙂
I just posted a Q that this conversation more-or-less answered: a way to see what my kids have been doing on their computers. Other than Spector, any other ideas?
